With the signing of the membership application by Mayor Erich Spamer, the town of Büdingen has be- come the latest FORTE CULTURA member. The Upper Hessian fortress town not only has a pictur- esque old town with half-timbered houses and a for- tified castle, it has also been protected for centuries by a well-preserved massive town wall with roun- dels. With Büdingen, the FORTE CULTURA region of North and Upper Hesse has gained another strong fortress partner and is consolidating the tourism axis between Mainz and Erfurt. Other partners in Hesse are the fortresses of Ziegenhain and Rüsselsheim.